Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Science and the Bible?

"The problem with concordist approaches [a concordist approach intentionally attempts to read an ancient text in modern terms (from p. 104)] is that while they take the text seriously, they give no respect to the human author. The combination of 'scientific truth' and 'divine intention' is fragile, volatile and methodologically questionable.We are fully aware that what we call 'scientific truth' one day may be different the next day. Divine intention must not be held hostage to the ebb and flow of scientific theory. Scientific theory cannot serve as the basis for determining divine intention."—The Lost World of Genesis One, page 105.

<idle musing>
I remember reading in an A.W. Tozer book once where he was saying essentially the same thing. His remark was that if the Bible describes some scientific discovery, why isn't it noticed by anyone until after the discovery. A very valid question.

To try holding the Bible hostage to science is to defeat its very purpose. It was written to point us to God. It is not God; it is only a book. Actually, as I am fond of saying, it is only a block of wood thinly sliced, unless enlivened by the Holy Spirit.
</idle musing>

No comments: